Moto Guzzi V65 cafe racer

One of the most evocative paint schemes in motorcycling is the red and lime green of Moto Guzzi’s iconic V7 Sport. It was a combination suggested by a Milan-based design institute, and four decades later, it’s still synonymous with the marque.

Moto Guzzi itself has brought back the red frame for its current V7 Racer. But even that bike doesn’t compare to this glorious V65 café racer—owned, designed and raced by Polish photographer Radek Polak.

The build was handled by the Polish workshop PJP Motocykle, and they’ve done a sterling job. The bike started life as a 1988-model V65, but performance is way better than stock: PJP installed a fully rebuilt Nevada 750 engine, 36mm Mikuni carbs and a lightweight exhaust system terminated with classy reverse-cone mufflers.

The front end has been adapted to take the forks from a 1987 Suzuki GSX-R, and at the back are fully adjustable Bitubo shocks. Stopping is taken care of by Brembo, with a brake system lifted from a Ducati Monster. And as you can imagine, the dynamics of the V65 have been transformed.

“The Guzzi feels like a modern sportbike on the track,” says Polak. “Not like a restored 1970s bike. That was the main idea—to create a cafe racer that really can race (and stop) like a modern bike.”

It’s a beautiful racer with an old-fashioned heart and modern abilities.